Backfill attachment device

ABSTRACT

A hole filling or blast hole filling attachment machine that incorporates a separate vehicle for mobility and power to operate dirt of drill tailing gathering blades and a rotatable blade assembly. The assembly includes a circular housing with a central opening for access to a drilled hole in the ground. No less than six arcuate blades extend outwardly from the center of the circular housing. Two curved dirt gathering blades are mounted with hydraulic cylinders outside of the circular rotating blades and protective housing to pull more tailings toward the arcuate blades. An electromagnet is used to retrieve the primer cord and to raise it up and away from the moving blades. The machine incorporates a video camera and video monitor to observe the hole or blast hole to allow the operator to correctly position the machine over the hole.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

-   References cited: U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,832 -   Foreign Patent Documents are: No. 245578 (Australia) No. 388107     (Soviet Union)

CLASSIFICATION DEFINITION

Excavation #37

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The reason for the conception of this art is the development of a new and improved device to move blast hole drill tailings back toward and down the drilled hole in a more efficient manner. The Backfill Attachment Device is a technology used to radically improve the process of backfilling blast holes in the strip mining process.

The machine described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,832 (inventor Carl Cooper, deceased) needed to be improved in several areas. The building of a complete vehicle to house and carry the machine proved to be impractical. The blade design of the singular arcuate blade needed improvement to increase earth excavating or moving capability. The need to develop a new system to recover the primer cord is necessary. The primer cord is a blasting cord that detonates the explosives in the blast hole. It has to be safely protected during the fill process and not lost down the hole. Recovering more dirt backfill is a problem needing to be addressed as well. Lastly, the ability to view the blast hole by the operator of the vehicle is essential.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Backfill Attachment Device embraces several novel changes that addresses several issues and improves the utility of the original concept. The major new design concept will be a Backfill Attachment Device that will operate as an attachment adaptable to a vehicle possessing a self-contained hydraulic motion system. This vehicle will have an attachment capability (i.e. a Bobcat type vehicle).

The second issue we address is improving the dirt moving (drill tailings) arcuate blade design. The new blades are constructed with an outer cutting edge attached perpendicularly to the end of the blades and an L shaped edge added to the bottom of the blade.

Those in the strip mining business are aware of the need to stem or backfill blast holes after they are partially loaded with explosives. The blast holes loaded with explosives must have the balance of the hole backfilled with the drill tailings lying around the hole. This preserves the pressure and desired fracturing process caused by the ignition of the explosives in the hole.

The third design change is a new method of recovering the primer cord that is essential. With the operator driving the vehicle 6 or 8 feet away from the hole, a capability to recover and protect the integrity of the primer cord from a distance is needed. A electromagnet on a vertical guide allows the electromagnet to move up and down the central opening of the backfill device. A 4 inch by 2 inch thin flat unit of metal is attached to the end of the primer cord. The magnet is lowered into the central opening of the backfill device by an appropriate sized shaft. The electromagnet attracts and attaches to the 4×2 piece of aforementioned flat metal and is raised at least 12 inches clearing the moving blades.

The issue of pulling more dirt or drill tailings to the blast hole without making the overall backfill device too large required a change. A two piece curved blade surrounding the circular backfill device is necessary. The two curved blades are attached by four hydraulic cylinders to the top of the safety cover on the backfill device. These blades are designed to pull drill tailings beyond the reach of the Backfill Attachment Device's arcuate blades and into their range of motion to be picked up and pushed to the middle of the device to be deposited in the blast hole.

Lastly, to allow the operator a more precise view of where the blast hole is located, a closed circuit video camera is attached to the center of the backfill device. It is attached to allow the operator to view the blast hole via the open horizontal column at the center of the rotating arcuate blades. A small video monitor is placed in the cab of the vehicle so the operator can view where to situate the backfill device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an elevated bottom view of the device.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the new modified arcuate blade.

FIG. 3 is a downward top view of the device.

FIG. 4 is side elevation cross-section view of the blade assembly and major components of the design.

FIG. 5 is the view of the attaching side of the device.

The following list is the description of the numbered parts on the drawings:

DESCRIPTION OF NUMBERED PARTS ON DRAWINGS

-   1) DIRT GATHERING BLADES -   2) HYDRAULIC CYLINDERS×4 -   3) ELECTROMAGNET -   4) VIDEO CAMERA -   5) HYDRAULIC HOSES -   6) CENTRAL OPENING -   7) THE ROTARY DISC AND ARCUATE BLADES SAFETY COVER -   8) ROTARY DISC -   9) ARCUATE BLADES -   10) PERPENDICULAR CUTTING BLADE -   11) INTERCHANGEABLE TOOTH -   12) HYDRAULIC MOTOR -   13) SPROCKET-1 -   14) POWERCHAIN -   15) ROTATABLE HOLLOW VERTICAL SHAFT WITH BLADES ATTACHED -   16) RING BEARINGS -   17) SPROCKET-2 -   18) BEARING SLOT -   19) BEARING SLOT -   20) PRIMER CORD RECOVERY PIECE -   21) ATTACHMENT PLATE FOR VEHICLE -   22) ATTACHMENT LATCH -   23) SAFETY SWITCH-SPRING-HOOK

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKFILL ATTACHMENT DEVICE

The Backfill Attachment Device is designed to improve the efficiency of backfilling blast holes drilled in the strip mining process. The overburden above the coal must be loosened in order to be removed. First, a grid of blast holes 40 feet or more are drilled that are approximately 1 foot in diameter. The drilled holes then are loaded with explosives and to retain the energy of the detonated explosives in the hole you must backfill the balance of the hole to the surface with the drill tailings. The explosives consist of a cast primer lowered to the bottom of the hole with a line of primer cord and then the hole is loaded with explosives. It is very important to protect the integrity of the primer cord. The holes are currently backfilled by picking up the drill tailings or soil with a loader and dumping the dirt in a dump truck. The drill tailings are then poured down each hole until full. The Backfill Attachment Device will speed up the process by pushing the tailings back down the blast hole from where they lie after the drilling process. This will greatly improve productivity by saving time.

The Backfill Attachment Device is attached to a vehicle similar to but not necessarily a Bobcat type vehicle. It is attached using the universal quick attachment device for utility attachments (part #21 FIG. 5). The hydraulic motor (part#12 FIG. 4) is attached to the host vehicle's hydraulic pumping system. The hydraulic hoses delivering fluid to the four hydraulic cylinders (part#2 FIGS. 3 & 4) are connected to the vehicles hydraulic pumping system. (Please reference FIG. 4 for all following part references unless otherwise stated.) This allows you to operate the hydraulic motor (part#12) to engage the rotary disc (part#8) with the attached arcuate blades with the L shaped edge and perpendicular cutting blade (part#10 FIGS. 1 & 2). The hydraulic cylinders (part#2 FIG. 1, 3, 4) allow the operator to pull dirt or drill tailings in toward the rotary disc using the dirt gathering blades (part#1 FIG. 1, 3, 4). The dirt gathering blades (part#1) can again be extended to pull more drill tailings toward the rotating disc and arcuate blades (part#8 & part#9 FIGS. 1 & 4) as needed.

Using the closed circuit camera (part#4) the machine is centered with the central opening (part #6) over the blast hole. The electromagnet (part#3) is lowered into the hole where it is charged and magnetically picks up the metal primer cord recovery piece (part#20) with attached primer cord. The metal primer cord recovery piece (part #20) is raised until visible to the operator showing the primer cord to be clear of the moving blades (part#9).

Each part of the machine is composed of the appropriate grade and thickness of steel. The excavating components are made of high carbon steel (parts #9, 10, 1). Steel tensile strength and overall weight and thickness are a factor in determining construction material.

With the hydraulic motor engaged (part#12) sprocket-1 (part#13) turns sprocket-2 (part#17) with connected power chain (part#14). This assembly turns the hollow rotating shaft (part#15), with attached rotary disc and attached arcuate blades (part#9), and the perpendicular cutting blades (part#10 FIGS. 1 & 2). This assembly is supported by and floats upon ring bearing (part#16) in bearing slots (part#18) (part#19). After the Backfill Attachment Device fills the hole by the auguring motion of the blades the operator throws an off switch in the vehicle releasing the primer cord metal recovery piece. An alternative safety switch mechanism can be mounted above the central opening housing on a bracket to protect the primer cord. The primer cord is attached to this switch which has a tension adjustment device such as a spring and a hook (part #23) in which too much tension on the attached cord will cut-off the power to the machine by a switch connected to the spring. This system to protect the primer cord may be used as an alternative to the electromagnet recovery device (part #3). After releasing the primer cord from either system, the operator raises the machine and moves to the next hole, repeating the complete process. 

1. A backfilling attachment device having the means to be attached or connected to a separate operating vehicle. This separate vehicle contains an attachable utility hydraulic system that connects by hose to a hydraulic motor mounted on the backfill attachment device. This hydraulic system supplies power to the new design horizontal rotating arcuate blade assembly. The said new design horizontal rotating arcuate blade assembly is constructed with an L shape or 90 degree angle and perpendicular cutting edge fastened to the outer end of each arcuate blade assembly. The said new design horizontal arcuate blade assembly includes a rotatable hollow vertical shaft disposed axially maintaining primer cord access through the central opening and housing around which the plurality of new designed arcuate rotating blades extend outwardly. This claim includes a mounted hydraulic motor that applies motion and enough force capable of pushing dirt or drill tailings by turning the hollow rotating shaft with attached arcuate blades.
 2. A backfill attachment device according to claim 1 including a mounted video camera monitoring the said hollow vertical primer cord access shaft.
 3. A backfill attachment device according to claim 1 with a video monitor mounted in said separate vehicle.
 4. A backfill machine attachment device according to claim 1 including an electromagnet which can be controlled in and out of the hollow vertical shaft primer cord access shaft in order to magnetically attach to the metal primer cord recovery piece.
 5. A backfill machine attachment device according to claim 1 with 2 attached dirt or drill tailing gathering blades that encircle said blast hole filling machine attachment device for the purpose of hydraulically pulling more dirt tailings toward center of machine to be used in backfilling the hole.
 6. A backfill attachment device according to claim 1 with a protective covering safely housing the arcuate blade design. 